HCA President's Message

I am very honored to be serving as HCA president for the coming year.  Hiddenbrooke is such a unique community and I want to follow in the footsteps of those who have given so much to help make it so special. 

The Hiddenbrooke Community Association is dedicated to quality of life issues.  HCA has already been responsible for many things that make our community a better place to live.  We were instrumental in establishing and implementing the current security procedures at the welcome center. We were successful in getting the post office to establish a box to make dropping off our mail easier.  We got the doggy bags installed and still maintain them.  Our volunteers have put on charity golf tournaments that have raised substantial amounts of money for charitable causes in the past, and we’re already working towards another excellent one this year. Our past social activities have been very successful and have helped establish and maintain a sense of neighborhood (as well as being a lot of fun!).  We’re looking forward to expanding our social activities in the coming year.  This list is not complete and I, of course, want to continue with all these ongoing activities as well as establishing new ones that will benefit the community.

As the financial situation in Vallejo has deteriorated and services have diminished, it is increasingly clear that we need to take more responsibility for ourselves, to be more vigilant in watching out for each other and protecting each other’s homes, and that we need to communicate with each other.  To that end we plan an outreach campaign to get every resident on HB News. This is of prime importance.  The newsgroup is an excellent way for residents to pass on so much valuable information, from safety alerts to vendor referrals.  Currently, over half of Hiddenbrooke is missing out.  Also , next year we plan to establish a Welcome Committee which will provide new residents with valuable information on what’s available to them in Hiddenbrooke, so that they can feel at home and participate right from the start.

We live in a safe community.  But, as mentioned above, police and fire services have been reduced due to budget cut backs.  HCA will be working very hard to improve public security here in Hiddenbrooke.   We will continue to encourage the formation and maintenance of “Block Watch” groups.  We will continue to reach out to the community for new ideas and help implement them.  Our safety committee has plans to come up with evacuation routes and lists of Hiddenbrooke residents who are doctors, nurses, and public safety personnel and who may be able to assist in an emergency, such as an earthquake.

My predecessor, Jim Libien, has worked long and hard with the City of Vallejo to try and get a park built here.  The funds have been set aside, it was promised to us when we moved here, and there is strong neighborhood support to keep working toward that goal.  Jim and HCA will continue leading that battle.

As I said, this community is unique.  It’s filled with volunteers who give of themselves to make this a better place to live, and I’m very pleased to be associated with them.

Nancy Berke
President, Hiddenbrooke Community Association